


Be Whoever You Are

by Astro_Sentry



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Ableism, Autistic Pearl, Canon Autistic Character, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-03
Updated: 2015-06-03
Packaged: 2018-04-02 14:52:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4064089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Astro_Sentry/pseuds/Astro_Sentry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steven may not be sure of many things, but he knew for certain that the face Pearl made after being called 'defective' wasn't something he ever wanted to see again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Be Whoever You Are

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t at least curious.

“Curious” being the most understating way of putting it. Steven Quartz Universe was, by nature, a rather inquisitive boy. Whether you chalked it up to growing up surrounded by aliens from another planet, or simple childhood questioning, such a fact was impossible to dispute.

And this inarguable curiosity is what led to a peculiar conversation with Connie Maheswaran one rainy afternoon.

“It’s been bothering me though.” Steven said, phone pressed against his ear and body splayed out atop his bed.

Connie’s voice rang through the phone’s speaker. “Okay, tell me again. What did Jasper say exactly?”

Steven scratched his head. “Well, I can’t remember 100%- because of all the stuff that happened- but I’m sure she called Pearl ‘defective’.”

There was a pause and slight ‘hmmm’ sound from the other end of the call as Connie contemplated this information. Steven waited in silent anticipation for his friend’s opinion. He was always willing to admit that Connie was more knowledgeable than he (she had objected to his initial use of the term “smarter” because the girl found the idea of traditional intelligence subjective) and thus eagerly sought her advice when a situation came to demand it.

After another moment, she replied, “Did she just single out Pearl?”

Steven shook his head despite Connie’s inability to see it. “Nah. Jasper said some mean stuff about the other gems too. But-“ He flipped over onto his back. “it was different, I guess.”

“Different how?”

He paused, bringing his mind back to that night only two weeks ago.

\--

_“But this is all that’s left of her army? Some lost, **defective** Pearl? A puny, overcooked **runt**? And **this** shameless display?”_

_As Jasper laughed at the meager display that had become of Rose’s once impressive militia, Steven chanced a look at the faces of his family._

_Amethyst looked as though she would snap any minute, ready to pounce like the puma motif she’s adopted in the past. He teeth were bared and her stance direct. The gem was clearly prepared to rip someone to shreds if it came down to that. And if Amethyst could break her own gem easily, Steven didn’t want to think about what she could do to another’s in such a protective state._

_Garnet stood similar to Amethyst, if a bit more foreboding. She’d adopted a cooler expression, conveying calm alongside bloodlust in a way only Garnet was capable. Her back was straight, gauntlets clenched in fists ready to fight._

_Pearl, however, seemed to completely contrast her comrades in both stance and attitude. Steven wasn’t always as attentive as the gems would have liked, but even he noticed the way Pearl’s brows furrowed after Jasper’s comment. The way her knees buckled and she leaned on her spear for just a second was not lost on the young charge. And though she quickly corrected herself into a more threatening position, Steven could see the apprehension on her face. He didn’t understand why Pearl had been so upset, however he knew a reaction like that wasn’t one he’d be soon to forget._

_Then the team charged into battle and Steven had more pressing matters to attend to._

\--

“Steven?” Connie’s voice broke through the memory.

“Oh- right. Sorry.” He collected his thoughts once more. “She just looked really upset about it. Like, really really upset.”

“Like you when The Big Donut is out of Boston Cream or worse?”

He considered the analogy briefly. “Worse.”

Connie gasped. “Whoa! What Jasper said must have really affected her. Have you tried talking to Garnet or Amethyst about it?”

Steven’s brows furrowed. “Nah, I wasn’t sure if I should bring it up. I… don’t think they like to talk too much about what happened that night.”

“Well you should definitely give it a try, especially if Pearl was as distressed as you said she was. My dad says that you always need to look out for your friends.” She nodded in self-satisfaction.

Her friend gave a concerned look. “Alright, I’ll see what Amethyst and Garnet say.” He sat up on the bed and swung his feet over the edge of the mattress. ‘I just want to make Pearl feel better about what Jasper said.’ While the thought went unsaid the intention was clearly there.

“Good. Now, have you started that new book series I lent you?”

As the conversation drifted onto other topics, Steven couldn’t help his mind from occasionally wondering back to Pearl and her relationship with being called defective.

\-----------------------

Steven had resolved to talk to Amethyst about the whole ordeal later that evening. The beach was bathed in a cool blue as storm clouds drifted away and the sun set over the horizon. The boy watched idly from the stairs that led up to his home. He could see driftwood and seashells loll back and forth with the tide. The environment was hypnotizing in its peacefulness and Steven almost wanted to head back inside to retrieve his ukulele- a moment like this would doubtlessly inspire a song. Still, he figured it was best to wait patiently for Amethyst. If he didn’t catch her at the steps Steven was sure she’d disappear into the temple until the following day. While the purple gem had never said anything about it, the rest of the team had learned that she preferred to be left alone during the nighttime hours.

It wasn’t long after Steven had started to doze where he sat that Amethyst appeared. In her hands was a bag of Fryman french fry bits. Drops of oil fell to the sand as she walked.

“Amethyst! Steven exclaimed excitedly. He jumped up and scrambled down the remaining steps, hopping onto the sand to meet her.

“Whoa Ste-man, where’s the fire?” She asked while munching on a handful of bits.

“I, uh-“ He paused, reaching to collect some of the snack for himself. The purple gem unceremoniously swiped the bag out of his reach in response. “-just wanted to ask you something.”

She shook the remaining contents of the bag straight into her mouth. “Shwoot.” Amethyst said whilst chewing the last of her treat.

“Well… Remember how when we first saw Jasper she said all those mean things about you, Garnet, and Pearl?”  
“Uh-huh.” The gem burped, crushed the now empty bag, and tossed it onto the ground.

Steven picked up the crumpled ball and put it in his pocket to properly dispose of later. “Why did she call Pearl defective?”

Amethyst paused. For a brief instant her expression revealed surprise and then concern. However, it just as quickly returned to her default relaxed face. She didn’t meet his eyes.

“Eh. Who knows? Jasper was probably just trying to mess with her.” Hands resting behind her head, Amethyst continued, “Not that it’s really that hard. Pearl freaked out once because I spilt a drop of mayo on the couch.” She shrugged.

Steven’s expression softened. “No, you don’t understand- it really seemed to bother her! Are you sure you don’t know anything?”

Amethyst scoffed and pushed Steven to the side as she made her way for the house. “Don’t worry so much about it, Steven. Pearl’s fine.”

The young boy wasn’t quite ready to give up. He trailed behind her, reaching out to grab her hand. “W-wait! Amethyst!” He shrieked in confusion.

The gem shrugged his hand away. She turned to face him and said in an uncharacteristically serious voice, “Steven. Just forget about it.” Then, Amethyst retreated into the house, leaving an even more concerned Steven in her wake.

Perhaps Garnet could provide the answers he was looking for.

**Author's Note:**

> The author of this fanfic is #actuallyautistic and adores any and all autistic Pearl headcanons. I'll try to keep going with this story since the subject really means a lot to me. Comments would really help me out though! :)


End file.
